defense mechanism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

“Growing up between two cultures kind of makes you hyper-observant as a defense mechanism,” Baltz says, “and makes a lot of cultural traditions seem arbitrary.”

From Los Angeles Times

People look numb, likely a defense mechanism to deal with insurmountable stress, according to Selcuk.

From Reuters

That defense mechanism is critical, he said, at a time when international condemnation of Israel is accelerating.

From Washington Post

The psychological state is a defense mechanism to the intense shock someone feels during a traumatic event, according to a medical expert who spoke with NBC’s “Today” show.

From Washington Times

The insecticides that target disease-spreading mosquitoes are running into nature’s ultimate defense mechanism: evolution.

From Washington Post